Confessions of a CTO Lurker

Probably like any other founder/CTO in a startup, my day consists of a huge variety of things — meeting with technology partners, going to on-site visits with customers, designing products, engineering, speaking at events… the list goes on. I’ve discovered that one of my “hidden” jobs is at least as important as these other things […]

Confessions of a CTO Lurker

Service Efficiencies: Don’t Roll A Truck Twice

Time is money, and, for that matter, money is money. Everything your company does needs to focus on making the best use of both. Efficiency is everything, not just in project design and installation, but in after-install service as well. Your service techs need to follow processes and function as efficiently as your installers do. […]

Service Efficiencies: Don’t Roll A Truck Twice

Customer Service: Products That Are Ready

As I sat down to write this column, I hemmed and hawed. I even got the column in a little late as I hesitated as to whether I should submit it or write a new one. I did not want to write something that was overly critical of a company, and yet I have had […]

Customer Service: Products That Are Ready

A Troubleshooting Roundtable

Last month, we began talking about the highest form of art when it comes to audiovisual systems: troubleshooting. In that article, I began to make the point that the use of a logical troubleshooting methodology began in your head, rather than by swapping equipment or blind experimentation. I don’t think many people had an argument […]

A Troubleshooting Roundtable

The Pixel and Ink-Stained Wretch vs. Residential Tech: My Experiences with Nest and Lyric

Now that I own a home out in suburbia, I have cause to sample the residential side of the tech market. As winter approaches, I’m making a two-pronged attack on the elements — low tech (weatherstripping and better attic insulation) and high (a new fancy thermostat). As this is a half-technology blog we’ll focus on […]

The Pixel and Ink-Stained Wretch vs. Residential Tech: My Experiences with Nest and Lyric